ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Jeff DaVanon helped teammate David Eckstein enjoy a rare day off.
DaVanon, a former Salt Lake Stinger, homered twice and drove in four runs as the Anaheim Angels beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 9-4 Sunday.
"I just got lucky," DaVanon said. "Hitting up in the order, they were worried about everyone but me. We have such a strong lineup that I'm going to see pitches and hopefully I'll hit them hard."
The World Series champions took three of four in the series and are 27-27 overall. Aaron Sele improved to 7-0 lifetime against Tampa Bay.
Toby Hall went 4-for-4 with a two-run homer for the Devil Rays, who have lost nine of 12. They had 12 hits but stranded nine runners.
"We've had a couple of chances with men on base the past few games and haven't done it," Tampa Bay manager Lou Piniella said. "I don't know what to tell you. I really don't. Let's just hope it gets better."
DaVanon, filling in for Eckstein as the leadoff batter, hit solo homers in third and fifth innings and a two-run single in the sixth. He had a career-high four hits in five at-bats.
"He obviously gave us a lift and that's what we're going to need," Angels manager Mike Sciosica said. "We're going to need the pressure from one through nine. It's not always going to come with a guy hitting two home runs or four hits like he had."
It was DaVanon's first multihomer game. He also had four RBIs against Cleveland on April 30, 2002.
Eckstein was rested after starting all of Anaheim's previous 53 games this season.
"It's awesome," Eckstein said. "JD went out there and did a great job. I'll move down if he keeps doing that."
BLUE JAYS 11, RED SOX 8: At Toronto, Roy Halladay won his seventh straight start and Toronto rallied from a 6-0 deficit to complete a three-game sweep of Boston.
Frank Catalanotto went 3-for-4 and matched a career high with four runs for the Blue Jays, who also swept a four-game series in New York last weekend and have won nine of 11 overall.
The Red Sox have lost five straight for the first time since a nine-game skid in 2001. Byung-Hyun Kim made his first appearance for Boston in the seventh inning, allowing two runs on three hits.
MARINERS 9, TWINS 5: At Minneapolis, Edgar Martinez homered and had four hits, and Seattle scored six times in the first inning to finish a four-game sweep of Minnesota.
Bret Boone hit his 15th home run for the Mariners, who roughed up Kenny Rogers and have won six straight overall. Freddy Garcia (5-6) went seven innings for the win.
ATHLETICS 6, ROYALS 4: At Kansas City, Ramon Hernandez and Terrence Long hit RBI singles in the eighth inning as Oakland beat Kansas City.
Eric Byrnes extended his hitting streak to 22 games by leading off the game with a home run. Eric Chavez hit a two-run homer for the Athletics, who have won 14 of their last 17 games at Kansas City.
INDIANS 5, WHITE SOX 4 (10): At Cleveland, Jody Gerut blooped a bases-loaded, pinch-hit single off the glove of shortstop Jose Valentin with two outs in the 10th inning, giving Cleveland a win over Chicago.
The Indians won their season-high fourth in a row.
ORIOLES 5, RANGERS 4: At Baltimore, Jeff Conine singled in the tiebreaking run in the eighth inning after a costly throwing error by Hank Blalock, lifting Baltimore past Texas.
Down 4-3, Baltimore put runners at first and second with two outs in the eighth against Francisco Cordero (2-5).
B.J. Surhoff then hit a smash down the third-base line that Blalock dived for and gloved, but his throw to first was wild, allowing Deivi Cruz to score the tying run.